To reduce import dependence and achieve self-sufficiency on edible oil, the Cabinet on Thursday approved the National Mission on Edible Oils with an outlay of Rs 10,103 crore, The scheme is aimed at boosting oil seeds production from the current level of 12.7 million tonne (MT) to 20.2 MT by 2031.
The mission will focus on enhancing the production of key oilseeds — rapeseed-mustard, groundnut, soybean, sunflower, and Sesamum. In addition, the programme aimed at increasing collection and extraction efficiency from secondary oilseeds like cottonseed, rice Bran, and borne Oils.
The mission is projected to meet the domestic edible oil requirement upto around 72% by 2031. The country imports about 57% of its annual edible oil consumption of around 24 million tonne. In terms of share in domestic output, the share of oils includes mustard (40%), soyabean (24%) and groundnut (7%), among others.
Area under oilseeds will be increased to 33 million hectare (mh) from the current level of 29 MH. The mission aims to increase oilseed production from 39 MT (2022-23) to 69.7 MT by 2030-31.
According to an official statement, the oilseed mission is aiming to achieve its obejctives by promoting adoption of high-yielding high oil content seed varieties, extending cultivation into rice fallow areas, and promoting intercropping. ‘The Mission will harness ongoing development of high-quality seeds by using cutting-edge global technologies such as genome editing,’ Ashwini Vaishnav, minister of information and broadcasting said at the briefing.
The mission will introduce an online 5-year rolling seed plan through the ‘seed authentication, traceability and holistic inventory (SATHI)’ Portal, enabling states to establish advance tie-ups with seed-producing agencies, including cooperatives, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and government or private seed corporations.
The mission envisages 65 new seed hubs and 50 seed storage units will be set up in public sector to improve the seed production infrastructure.
According to an official statement, over 600 value chain clusters will be developed across 347 unique districts, covering more than 10 lakh hectares annually. These clusters will be managed by value chain partners such as FPOs, cooperatives, and public or private entities. Farmers in these clusters will have access to high-quality seeds, training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and advisory services on weather and pest management.
In 2021, the national mission on ediblle – oil palm with an outlay of Rs 11,040 crore to boost palm oil cultivation.
To provide remunerative prices to domestic oilseeds farmers, the governmen recently reduced duties on crude palm, soyabean and sunflower oils have been increased to 27.5% from the current level of 5.5%. The levy on refined edible oil, meanwhile, has been raised to 35.75% from 13.75%.
Under the the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), the government has announced the purchase of oilseeds at minimum support price (MSP) through price support scheme and price deficiency payment scheme.